-> ''You blindly put yourselves at the center of the universe, every last one of you. Envious! Malicious! And even after all that you ''still'' think you're in the right! Jealousy. Hatred. Arrogance. Betrayal. Insolence. Deception. Those are the true natures of human beings! You're ''sickening''. Even thinking about it now makes me physically ill! You're all hypocritical fakes! Every last one of you: useless.\\And that's why I've decided to kill you all.''-->-- '''Phantom''', Manga/{{MAR}}

Have you ever been '''''so''''' annoyed with life you just want to forget about "civilized" culture and become ADarkerMe? or [[BeneathTheMask a different you?]] [[{{Ubermensch}} The kind of person]] [[BeneathTheMask who couldn't care less about social conventions]] and went about exacting [[DisproportionateRetribution Disproportionate (but poetic) Retribution]]?

Well in fiction, some characters ''do'' get that bothered.

Start with a NiceGuy, maybe even a DeadpanSnarker, or any character who plays by society's rules. Mix with [[ButtMonkey frustration]], add a dash of [[NiceGuysFinishLast romantic rejection]], [[EtTuBrute betrayal]], put in the oven to 300 degrees {{Angst}}ius for a few years, months, weeks, or in some cases ''days'' (Indeed, the time to completion varies a ''lot'' by the main ingredient's willpower) and voilá! You now have a man or woman who has been maddened into misanthropy.

What comes next is usually pretty fun. They will systematically deconstruct the parts of modern living, culture, work, and their own life that they dislike, and rebuild these relationships from their end into something workable (again, for them). They will reject conventions like white lies, [[BrutalHonesty saying exactly what they feel and think]]. They will not dress to expectation, going unkempt, wearing only things that are comfortable, or switching to a highly unique personal style. If someone annoys them, they won't bother acknowledging their presence. If they try to pester the misanthrope they won't hesitate to tell them exactly how much of a [[TheScrappy Scrappy]] they are. If the misanthrope dislikes them enough or outright ''[[MisanthropeSupreme hates]]'' them, they will use threats or slapstick level physical comedy to subdue or chase them off. They won't kill anyone, but likely because they now have such an efficient way of venting their anger they either don't ''get'' that angry anymore, or don't stay angry long enough to cause them stress.

It's not all an ego trip, though. They may act like a JerkAss, but they'll often be just as unrestrained in their positive impulses and aspects, seeing no reason not to do a nice thing for someone they like, such as helping them to release their own inner fears and limitations, or even [[TeachHimAnger "teaching them"]] that they can ignore social convention every once in a while. If they have been pining for someone, they will now proceed to confidently and unconventionally romance them.

Interestingly, they will only get mildly rejected for this behavior. Lifelong friends will be weirded out by the change, but nonetheless happy for their friend's newfound assertiveness and happiness. Of course, since they don't usually cause stress they will avoid the sharp end of this knife. {{Love interest}}s who are shrewish will be horrified away, while those who were {{oblivious|ToLove}} to them now take notice. While the PointyHairedBoss will want to fire them, his bosses will find his attitude refreshing and promote him up against the annoying middle-manager's wishes.

They do seem to temper this anti-social behavior some by movie's end, though often never completely. One thing is certain, they now live life without regrets.

Related to BeneathTheMask. WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds is usually less fun than this. Compare the MirrorMoralityMachine. [[IThoughtItMeant Has nothing to do with]] VideoGame/MaddenNFL. [[SeriousBusiness Well, at least not for most of us]]... See also DidYouThinkICantFeel----!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:AnimeAndManga]]* 4Kids's attempt at {{Bowdlerization}} actually had this happen to Rafael in ''Anime/YuGiOh'''s filler season. In the original version, Rafael's DarkAndTroubledPast was that he was the sole survivor of his family after the cruise ship he was on was driven into a tidal wave by Dartz... and after being rescued, he randomly decides [[PlotHole that humans are bastards, with no discernable reason as to why]] other than the news. The dub, however, didn't mention anything about his family dying, instead implying that they had moved on and weren't ready to accept him back into their lives... which pretty much maddened him into misanthropy. * ''Manga/OnePiece'': Played with. Trafalgar Law, a man nigh infamous for his cruelty, is still a rather laid back person, if a bit cold. Though, as bad he is, he was even ''worse'' as a child -- [[spoiler:if it weren't for Corazon showing him compassion and love]], he would've been a ''lot'' more cynical after [[spoiler:the world abandoned his city to burn a fiery death after using its people to dig up the poisonous Amber Lead for profit]]. Instead, while he still has a remarkably jaded a view of the world, he hasn't lost his capacity for mercy and compassion, even if he doesn't show it all the time. That being said, he's still a pirate, and he is primarily concerned with himself, those allied with him, and his goals: [[spoiler:particularly, his goal of killing Doflamingo for Corazon's death]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* A {{deconstruction}} of this happens in the 2000's version of ''SupremePower'' with Mark, albeit he goes more to the Ubermensch side of the scale.* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', particularly in ''Comicbook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns''* ''ComicBook/{{Wanted}}'' (both the film and comic) has Fox systematically madden and train Wesley into a badass who has zero regard for playing by the rules that made his pre-fraternity life miserable. Amazingly for a career killer, he handles the breakup with his girlfriend by casually breezing into and out of their apartment, much to her anger and confusion. The comic has Wesley brutally beaten weekly (only to later let him free to have a go at hurting his 'trainer'). The film adds a nice ShutUpHannibal confrontation with his former boss, and a keyboard comeuppance to the friend who was cheating with his girlfriend.* This is [[Film/StarTrek Captain Nero's]] {{backstory}} in ''Franchise/StarTrek Countdown''. He started off as a hard-working family man, but then his wife died and his planet blew up, so he shaved his head and became the silent, tattooed psychopath we all know and love.* {{Magneto}} had this happen to him ''twice:'' once when he was driven into his supervillainous status by his experiences in the Holocaust, the death of his daughter Anya, and the abandonment of his wife Magda, and a second time after [[ILetGwenStacyDie losing two of his students]] and being [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured almost to the breaking point]] by someone trying to steal his powers.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]* Franchise/{{Harry|Potter}} in ''FanFic/TheDarknessSeries''. Harry becomes disgusted by his school and his so-called "friends." Sure, they'll support him when he's playing hero or won them a house cup but when the chips are down they'll readily abandon him at the first sign of trouble.* There's also the independent!Harry and/or "Harry is falsely sentenced to Azkaban" {{Fandom Specific Plot}}s which frequently involve Harry rejecting manipulative headmasters and his once friends for new friends (frequently [[OriginalCharacter OCs]], Slytherins, and/or Crossover characters), learns [[TheDarkArts awesome and questionable new skills]], and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking gets gothic clothing and tattoos]].* In ''Fanfic/ThoseWhoStandForNothingFallForAnything'' L already has this attitude from [[BreakTheCutie the things that have happened to him pre-story]] and Light is also {{s|anitySlippage}}lipping into this as his mask of perfection begins slipping. However the people around him frequently make excuses for his behavior [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem because of who he is]] and try their best not to notice--such as when his wife excuses his foul moods as "headaches." [[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]%%* ''Film/HowToLoseFriendsAndAlienatePeople''.* A very dark variant in ''Film/FallingDown''. The lead is fired, divorced, and stuck in traffic. Already mentally unstable and prone to violent outbursts, he decides his mission is to spend the day with his daughter on her birthday, ''[[GoingPostal no matter what]]''. [[spoiler:Turns out, he always had a dark side...and was fired a WHILE back, only to keep commuting. And had a restraining order against him...]]* ''Film/OfficeSpace'' has the lead hypnotized into vanishing his stresses, but the hypnotist dies before "waking" him up. He begins ignoring his boss, showing up to work to play Tetris, and wooing the female lead. It wears off halfway through the movie, but the female lead is eventually driven to a natural point on this when she flips off her boss.* Elisabet in ''Film/{{Persona}}'' (the Ingmar Bergman film, not the game) is an extreme version of this. She refuses to talk to anyone because she's sick of telling white lies. In a partial aversion, she's considered somewhat nuts, and a nurse is sent to take care of her.* ''Film/YesMan'' has a variant where the perennially negative lead simply always agrees to everything, leading to a much more exciting life.** All of Danny Wallace's books (including ''Yes Man'') have something of this, though you would wouldn't call him "misanthropic".* ''Film/FightClub'': That's pretty much the whole point. (Apart from the "only mildly rejected" part.)%%* ''Film/TheBraveOne''* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Anakin Skywalker has a little of this. His ego and arrogance lead him to believe he's being held back purposely by the Jedi, creating some resentment and giving him a more aggressive, angrier and distant demeanor (for a Jedi). However, by the time he really starts getting into it, he turns to TheDarkSide thanks to the influence of Palpatine.* Played for [[HilarityEnsues laughs]] in ''Film/AngerManagement'', where bringing the timid [[Creator/AdamSandler David Buznik]] to this point is the goal of the entire movie. It's very strongly implied, without browbeating him into learning a better way to [[TeachHimAnger deal with his emotions]], he might [[GoingPostal do something far worse than misanthropy]].* After a few nights of wearing ''Film/TheMask'', Stanley Ipkiss can't stand living a normal life and begins doing things like threatening to call the IRS when his boss attempts to give him a hard time.* ''Film/AmericanBeauty'': The whole point of this movie, too, ultimately played for tragedy. At least, the implication is that Lester's misanthropy leads him to a much greater understanding and acceptance of himself, up until [[spoiler:his homophobic, in-the-closet neighbor shoots him dead after [[MistakenForGay mistaking him for being gay]]]].* Ash in ''Franchise/EvilDead'' series is a sensitive, fairly average man in the [[Film/TheEvilDead1981 first movie]]. Then over the course of a weekend which consists of all of his friends and loved ones [[EvilHand (even his own hand!)]] possessed by ancient demons and MindRape, he's turned into a callous BadAss fountain of one-liners. Though during the adjustment period between the two he's reduced to a gibbering lunatic...* [[Franchise/{{Rambo}} John Rambo]]. By the [[Film/RamboIV fourth movie]] he has abandoned civilization and humanity almost entirely.* ''Film/TheDivide'' is a long view into the ride of a bunch of people trapped in a New York bunker after a nuclear attack into this. The ones that do not are dead ([[FateWorseThanDeath or taken for something probably worse]]) by film's end.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* At the conclusion of ''Literature/GulliversTravels'', Gulliver sees humans as nothing more than Yahoos who talk and wear clothes. He avoids human contact, including from his own family, as much as possible.* In ''Literature/{{Heidi}}'', this happened to the main character's grandfather in the past, after the death of his son Thomas (Heidi's dad) followed soon by Heidi's mother Adelheid kicking the bucket as well. The old man never was one for socializing, but after ''that'' he went up into the mountains and left everything, until he starts defrosting when Heidi goes live with him. [[spoiler:It happens again when she's taken away from him by aunt Dete, apparently becoming even worse than in the past, until Heidi comes back to his side.]]* ''Literature/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'': Captain Nemo’s BackStory is not fully revealed in this novel, but [[ButtMonkey he declares he has lost all his family because of]] TheEmpire, and definitely he shows {{Angst}} about it. [[HandshakeRefusal He never shake hands with Professor Aronnax]], he [[LonersAreFreaks has severed all contact with the "civilized" world]] [[AboveGoodAndEvil and its morality]], and [[StartMyOwn creates his own society]] of people that also had been maddened into misanthropy that will become an NGOSuperpower. Oh, and he tries to become an {{Ubermensch}}. When Aronnax calls him out about the cruelty implied in never letting them leave the Nautilus, he answers:-->''"What! We must give up seeing our homeland, friends, and relatives ever again?"''-->''"Yes, sir. But giving up that intolerable earthly yoke that some men call freedom is perhaps less painful than you think!"''* ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': Arthur Dent does this while stranded on prehistoric Earth with the Golgafrinchans, and makes the transition from FishOutOfWater to UnfazedEveryman. It's implied that Ford Prefect does this quite often, as he shares sound advice on how to go mad.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]* [[Series/{{House}} Dr. Gregory House]], though he suggests he was always like this. "Since age 4."* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' ended with Chief Tyrol planning to become a hermit in [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries what will eventually become Scotland]]. His reasoning? There's no people ''or'' Cylons to further screw up his life. * In an episode of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', George, unsatisfied with his lot, decides to take the opposite approach to everything he does, starting by asking a woman out by being honest and saying he's "unemployed and lives with his parents." Everything drastically improves for him from there: he ''gets'' the girl, moves out of his parents' apartment, and gets a job with the Yankees!* Blair attempts this in season two of ''Series/GossipGirl''. Chuck seems to be heading down this route in season three.* Koga Saejima, the hero of ''Series/{{GARO}}'' has this as one reason behind his {{Tsundere}} attitude-- losing his father at a young age and assuming the family mantle makes him rather... impatient with anything not to do with hunting Horrors. It also allows him to cut directly to what needs to be done in that hunt.* The premise of ''Series/TheFallAndRiseOfReginaldPerrin'' is Reggie just getting sick of his pointless job and diving into eccentricity.* Claudia Donovan in the third season finale of ''{{Warehouse 13}}'' is suffering an acute version of this, being so angry and hurt over [[spoiler: the death of her friend Steve Jinks]] that she lashes out at the Regents and everyone around her, while simultaneously [[spoiler: saving an artifact to try and SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong]] against the laws of the organization. Fortunately, things actually start to look up and, if anything, Claudia actually gets a lot more mature for all the effort. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:Artie is warned of an unspeakable evil created by his use of the [[ResetButton astrolabe]] to restore the destroyed Warehouse, and acutely fears that this evil may manifest through Claudia]].** A more clear cut example is H.G. Wells in season 2. When her daughter died, she started seeing only the worst in people, and eventually had herself [[HumanPopsicle bronzed]], in the hopes that when she'd be eventually thawed, the world would be a better place. [[spoiler:When she figures that it's only gotten worse, she becomes a total StrawNihilist and attempts to cause a second Ice Age before Myka talks her down.]]* Bernard Black in ''BlackBooks'', who in the final episode admits that most of his bitterness stems from the death of his fiancee. Fran later reveals that the fiancee actually faked her death to get out of the relationship because Bernard was ''already'' an unbearable misanthrope and ''everyone'' knew she was still alive except for Bernard. After initially being upset, he forgives Fran, apparently happy to continue believing that HumansAreBastards.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]* ''[[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Timon of Athens]]''. He likes people and people like him, and he gives people money & lavish gifts; then he gets in some financial trouble and his friends won't help him, so he becomes a misanthrope and lives in a cave. His one true friend, an actual misanthrope, berates him for being a copycat.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* After having been experimented on, used as a slave, paralyzed for 30 years in a small village and fully aware the entire time, [[VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins Shale]] has NOT come to have any love for "squishy" organic creatures.** [[ArchEnemy Especially hating the birds for the constant crapping]]... And the villagers even more for encouraging them -- you can see a basket of birdseed right next to Shale.%%* [[spoiler:The BigBad]] of ''AceAttorneyInvestigations 2''.* ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': [[spoiler:Jaesa Wilsaam]] if you take the dark side option in the Sith Warrior story. This trope is also how Kaliyo in the Imperial Agent story comes across.** The backstory for the Sith Inquisitor is that they were MadeASlave by the Empire before it was discovered they were Force-Sensetive. It's apparently the reason why nearly every line out of their mouth is pure, unadulterated [[TheSnarkKnight sardonicism]].* [[spoiler:Oersted]] from ''VideoGame/LiveALive'', who became the BigBad because he was hated and he decided to return that hatred. Unfortunately for all of time and space, he had the powers of a demon king at his disposal.* All the Guardians in ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'', but especially Japhet, who built the huge city that occupies Zone 2 and just wants acknowledgement for everything that he's done for the Elsens living there. The Elsens, meanwhile, have become far too paranoid and fearful of even the simplest things [[UngratefulBastard to appreciate anything he's done]], and in fact ''don't even recognize him'' (though [[spoiler:when the Batter finally meets him, he's occupying someone else's body]],) frustrating him to the point that now he just wants to destroy everything he's created.* Porky Minch underwent this throughout the ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER}}'' series. He starts out as an obnoxious and unpopular next-door neighbor to Ness, but he starts doing progressively more cruel and evil things throughout the course of the game. [[spoiler:This is due to the influence of Giygas, who selected Porky to be his herald in order to spread his influence throughout the Earth and hinder Ness. Porky eventually escapes at the end of the game, where he travels through time into the far future to corrupt and ultimately destroy what's left of the world.]][[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]* [[Creator/BenCroshaw Yahtzee]] of ZeroPunctuation routinely mentions that he is a jaded misanthrope and blames this on [[HumansAreMorons the stupidity of human society]]. Whether this is SelfDeprecatingHumor or is actually true of the man seems to be an exercise for the viewer.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'': Toki, tired of being thought of as "the nice one", becomes a child-hating demon of venom -- until he forms a bond with a dying little girl through her music. And then [[BreakTheCutie gets even more broken]].* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'', EdgarAllanPoe is shown as a {{Manchild}}, StepfordSmiler and TastesLikeDiabetes Incarnate whose writings were all about {{Sugar Bowl}}s and other cute, fluffy things. However at the end, the main characters openly criticize a pink cake he baked for them, which eventually drove him into becoming... Well, Edgar Allan Poe.* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' has a hilarious, and disturbing, example from the episode "Hermit Ren," in which Ren becomes so infuriated by his best friend's obnoxiousness that he decides to lock himself in a cave, with only the company of his hallucinations.[[/folder]]----